Abbott has put the ball back in Serena Williams’ court to serve up a high-profile endorsement of the Lingo over-the-counter glucose sensor.
The tennis star first teamed up with Abbott in late 2024, amid the initial U.S. rollout of the Lingo system. In that lighthearted “Spike Sessions” campaign, Williams and her husband, Alexis Ohanian, discussed and snacked on various foods attached to memorable moments in their lives, then watched on the Lingo app how their respective glucose levels responded to each food.
A year later, Abbott has once again tapped Williams as its doubles partner to promote the continuous glucose monitor. The new partnership centers around a video that plays on the concept of both Williams and Lingo as “game-changers.”
“It takes bold choices to meet our next big moment … like deciding what’s for breakfast,” Williams says in the video, after a seemingly serious moment is interrupted by the call of her kids.
“Knowing my glucose means no more guessing,” she continues, explaining how she’s learned from the Lingo system that eggs “work better” for her at breakfast than Ohanian’s social media-famous “Papa’s Pancakes,” and that “adding movement after meals keeps me steady.”
“It’s all based on data—my data. Lingo shows me what’s going on behind the scenes, so I can make choices that work for me,” she says while looking over a table of potential meals backstage at a photoshoot, then concluding, “So, if you don’t think tracking your glucose is right for you, think again. Lingo is a game-changer.”
With Lingo, Abbott has targeted a health-conscious audience who don’t have diabetes but may still benefit from tracking their glucose with a CGM.
In an interview with USA Today tied to the campaign’s launch this week, Williams discussed how tools like Lingo have helped her maintain her health after retiring from professional tennis.
“Who doesn’t want longevity? Because that’s what it all boils down to,” she said.
The Abbott partnership is far from Williams’ first foray into the life sci industry. In addition to investing in several health-focused companies, over the last several years, she’s served as a celebrity spokesperson for AbbVie migraine med Ubrelvy, joined Reckitt in launching a program to support health and hygiene startups led by women and members of other underrepresented groups and, most recently, signed on as a partner to telehealth company Ro.
The Ro team-up was unveiled in August, with Williams sharing in a TV ad and longer video how she turned to GLP-1 drugs—which the telehealth company sells via agreements with Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk—to lose weight after having her second child, when her “body just wouldn’t respond” to diet and exercise.